Pocket billiard cue stick and sight therefor



June 1968 E. CASTIGLIQNE, JR 3,389,911

POCKET BILLIARD CUE STICK AND SIGHT THEREFOR Filed Oct. 22, 19a:- 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 r- (.0 J m n m Q 22 E Ll.

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EUGENE CASTIGLIONE JR.

ATTORNEY.

J1me 1968 E. CASTIGLIONE, JR 3,389,911

POCKET BILLIARD CUE STICK AND SIGHT THEREFOR Filed Oct. 22, 1965- 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 o V I FIG. 6 UK FIG. 5

INVENTOR. EUGENE CASTIGLIONE JR.

BY fimq;

7 ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,389,911 POCKET BILLIARD CUE STICK AND SIGHT THEREFOR Eugene Castiglione, Jr., 4241 SW. 112th Ave.

' Miami, Fla. 33156 Filed Oct. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 502,082

Claims. (Cl. 273-68) This invention relates to a one stick sight, and more particularly to a detachable cue stick sight that does not interfere with the normal use of a cue stick for use in either pocket billiards, or billiards.

In the past it has been difficult to align the cylindrical cue stick with the spherical balls since cylindrical and spherical surfaces do not present visual sighting edges or impact points and, therefore, are of little aid to the untrained eye when playing billiards, or pool.

When the cue stick is used in the customary manner, a player will usually view the cue ball and the ball to be struck or object ball from a sighting position above all three elements. If the player tries to aim the cue stick by sighting along the cylindrical shaft in a manner simi lar to a rifle, the cue ball will block his view to a point of intended impact on the ball he is trying to strike The present invention relates to a new and useful article for aligning a cue stick, a cue ball, and the ball intended to be struck by the cue ball, object ball. This article provides a cue stick with a sight thereon. The sight is connected to the cue stick to be used in the accustomed manner while keeping the object ball visible at all times; that is, the object ball is not hidden by the cue ball When the player aligns the cue stick and balls. The sight, having a sighting edge thereon is detachably connected near the impact end of the cylindrical shaft of the cue stick.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a detachable sight that can be aifixed to a cue stick for use in pocket billiards, or the game of pool.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sight for use on a cue stick which can be used by the beginners, or experts, without interfering with the use of the cue stick or the cue ball.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a one-piece, elongated, cue stick sight which may be attached, or detached, from the cue stick.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent in the following specification and claims considered together with the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an overall view of the cue stick with the sight positioned thereon, the cue stick being aligned with a ball in a normal manner;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged detailed elevational view of my cue stick sight;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of my one stick sight;

FIGURE 4 is an elevational cross-sectional view of my cue stick sight taken along line 44 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of a billiard table showing one use for my cue stick in making an angle shot;

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of a billiard table showing another angle shot for which my cue stick sight may be utilized;

FIGURE 7 is a top plan view of a billiard table showing another use for my cue stick sight in a straight shot;

FIGURE 8 is an elevational view of an object ball with impact points of the cue ball illustrated thereon;

3,389,91 l Patented June 25, 1968 FIGURE 9 is an elevational view of a cue ball with impact points of the one stick illustrated thereon.

In order to illustrate the preferred embodiment of the present invention, my cue stick sight, generally indicated by the numeral 1, has an elongated tapered body portion 2, consisting of a horizontal web portion 10 which comes to an arrow point at one end 3, and has a blunt round shape at the other end 4. A vertical upstanding web portion 5, considerably narrower than the main body portion 2, runs along the entire length of my cue stick sight. The upper edge 6 of the upstanding web 5 is normally colored in a contrasting color from the rest of the body of the cue stick sight.

As an integral part of the cuestick sight 1, there is a spring clip 7 designed to grasp the cylindrical body of the cue stick 8. The spring clip 7 is an integral part of a web portion 9 on the main body of the one stick sight. The spring clip 7 is positioned so that the body of the cue stick sight 1 and the lower edge 9a of lower web portion 9 slant at an upward angle with respect to the cue stick 8 when the spring clip 7 is in position on said cue stick '8. The extended end 3 of the one stick sight, which extends beyond-the tip 11 of the cue stick '8, is at a greater distance from the projected center line of the cue stick than is the opposite end 4 of the one stick sight. End 4 is near-er the butt end of the one stick than is extended end 3. The projected extension of the center line of the body portion 2 of the cue stick sight 1, i.e. web 10, intersects the center line of the cue stick 8 at an acute angle, as shown in FIGURE 2. The projected lower edge 9a of the lower web portion 9 is also at an acute angle with respect to the center line of cue stick 8. The acute angle made by the projection of the lower edge portion 9a is greater than the acute angle made by the projection of the center line of the main body portion 2, i.e. web 10.

When cue stick sight 1 is in position on cue stick 8 by means of clip 7, end 4 is positioned substantially above the cue stick 8 so as to leave room for the players hand, not shown.

The cue stick sight extends beyond the tip of the one stick and is spaced from the tip of the one stick so that the cue stick will not touch the cue ball, or the table, even when the cue stick is tipped at a high angle for striking the cue ball. The one stick must be tipped at a high angle, for example, when the cue ball is close to the cushion edge of the table, or is close to another ball.

The preferred projected acute angle for the main body portion 2, i.e. web 10, is about 10, and the preferred projected acute angle for the lower edge portion 9a is about 15 The main body portion of the cue stick sight 1, as illustrated, is formed of plastic strip material or any other suitable self-sustaining material, such as wood or metal. The preferred material is plastic. It is also understood that this invention may be formed in other shapes, or suitable configurations.

The form illustrated and described above is the pre- 3 could be used to fit over the cue stick 8 and hold the cue stick sight 1 in place.

In use, the cue stick sight 1 is attached to the cue stick 8 at any convenient point on the said cue stick 8, preferably about three inches from the tip end 11. The upward angle of my cue sight with respect to the cue stick 8 enables it to be placed in position near the striking tip 11 of the cue stick 8 without any part of the sight 1 interfering with the cue ball, even when the rear of the cue stick is raised at an angle to strike the cue ball.

In use, when in position as shown in FIGURE 1, the cue stick sight enables the player to accurately judge the striking point of the cue ball on the object ball which is designated at 13a, as shown in FIGURE 5. By sighting along upper edge 6 of sight 1 at the desired spot on the object ball, the player can accurately strike the cue ball so as to make it hit the object ball at the desired spot, provided he strikes the cue ball in the proper place, as described below.

In playing pool, it is important to realize that the one stick can propel the cue ball by engaging any point or spot on the spherical surface. A few of these points are shown on a cue ball 12 in FIGURE 9. The impact point of the cue ball on the object ball will lie on the horizontal circumference of the object ball. Three points are shown on object ball 13 in FIGURE 8. Various combinations of aiming points may be used to put the object ball in the pocket.

For example, if the players cue stick 8 hits the cue ball 12 in any one of three spots, 15, 18, or 21, illustrated and shown in FIGURE 9, then by aiming with sight 1 at the object ball 13, he can make the cue ball hit the object ball 13 at any one of the spots, 25, 23, or 24.

It should be noted that the spots shown in FIGURES 8 and 9 are not actually on the balls as used, but are shown here for purposes of illustration only. The fact that the balls themselves have no such spots requires good judgment and control of the cue stick on the part of the player, and this is greatly aided by the use of my one stick sight.

If the object ball is struck by the cue ball in dead center, as at spot 23, the object ball will go straight ahead from the position it was hit, as illustrated in FIGURE 7. If the object ball is struck by the cue ball at the right side, as at spot 24, it will take a path at an angle to the left, as shown in FIGURE 6. If the object ball is struck on the left side, as at spot 25, it will take a path at an angle to the right, as shown in FIGURE 5.

The proper sighting and control of the cue ball and object ball are most impartant in playing pool. Theoretically, this can be done with only the cue stick, but in practice it is very difiicult to hit the object ball in the proper spot. Typical examples of the use of my cue sight are shown in FIGURES 5, 6, and 7.

FIGURE shows what is known as a short angle shot. The cue stick strikes the cue ball 12a, which in this case would be the right of center spot, such as spot 18, and at the same time the cue stick by means of the one stick sight 1 is pointed at the spot on the object ball 13a. The most important part is to properly aim at the object ball which is accomplished by use of my cue stick sight 1. Its use enables even a beginner pool player to make the difficult angle shots.

When struck in the manner illustrated, the cue stick sight 1 being aimed at the left edge of object ball 13a, the object ball 13a will proceed in the direction shown by the dotted lines 26 into the side pocket 27, as shown in FIGURE 5. This is known as a short angle shot with the use of inside English" on the cue ball.

Other forms of English may be applied to the cue ball by striking the cue ball at points 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 or 22.

In FIGURE 6, the cue stick with the aid of the one stick sight 1 is lined up so as to strike the cue ball 12b in the center, as at spot 15, and the object ball 13b on the right side as at spot 24 so as to cause the object ball 13b to proceed along the path of dotted lines 28 to corner pocket 29. This is a left corner shot.

Typical bank shots are shown in dotted positions in FIGURE 6. Thus, when the cue stick 8 is in position R, the cue ball 12b and object ball 13b will follow path R. When cue stick 8 is in position L, the cue ball 12b and object ball 13b will follow path L.

In FIGURE 7 is shown another method of using my cue stick sight 1 in which the cue ball 12c is struck dead center, as at spot 15, and, by aiming the one stick sight 1 at spot 23 on object ball 130, the object ball 13c is hit dead center, at spot 23, so that it will proceed on the path, shown by dotted lines 30, into corner pocket 31. This is known as a right corner shot, and it is particularly important in this shot to be able to line up the path of the cue stick and each ball exactly and correctly. This is greatly facilitated by the use of my one stick sight 1.

It is apparent from the above description that my novel cue stick sight 1 can be used as a great aid to facilitate the accurate aiming at the object ball in pocket billiards, bumper pool, or similar games where cue sticks are used.

Such changes, modifications, and alterations of this invention as may occur to those skilled in the art are to be considered within the purview of the present invention as fall within the spirit of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In combination, a cue stick and a cue stick sight including:

a sighting means,

a main body portion supporting the foreward end of said sighting means beyond the tip end of said cue stick for providing a visual aid for aligning a cue ball and an object ball,

a detachable connecting means for supporting said main body portion on the one stick shaft,

an intermediate body portion between said main body portion and said connecting means,

said intermediate body portion holding said main body portion at an inclined angle with respect to the center line of the one stick to locate the forward end of said sighting means at a greater distance from the projected center line of the cue stick than the distance between the rearward end of said sighting means and the center line of the one stick.

2. In combination, a cue stick and a one stick sight including:

a sighting edge,

a main body portion supporting the forward end of said sighting edge beyond the tip end of said one stick, a web portion for providing said sighting edge with a background to make said sighting edge stand out,

a connecting means for supporting said main body portion on the cue stick shaft,

an intermediate body portion between said body portion and said connecting means, said intermediate body portion holding said main body portion at an acute angle in relation to the center line of said cue stick with the angle being open in a forward direction to provide an interference free cue sight.

3. Acue stick including:

a cue stick sight having a sighting means, a main body portion'supporting the forward end of said sighting means beyond the tip end of said one stick, a supporting body portion between said main body portion and said one stick,

said supporting body portion holding said main body portion at an acute angle in relation to the center line of said cue stick with the angle being open in a forward direction to provide an interference-free cue sticksight.

4. The combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said detachable means includes a spring clip for engagement with said cue stick shaft.

5. The combination as set forth in claim 1 2,207,718 7/1940 Cassidy 273-129 wherein said incline angle is about 10 to provide both 2,898,109 8/ 1959 Williams 273-163 a plan view cue stick sight and an elevational view cue stick sight for added versatility. FOREIGN PATENTS References Cited 0 25,146 1904 Great Br1ta1n.

UNITED STATES PATENTS ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner.

1,336,165 4/1920 Skopal 33-47 R. I. APLEY, Assistant Examiner.

1,888,112 11/1932 Coleman 33-47 

3. A CUE STICK INCLUDING: A CUE STICK SIGHT HAVING A SIGHTING MEANS, A MAIN BODY PORTION SUPPORTING THE FORWARD END OF SAID SIGHTING MEANS BEYOND THE TIP END OF SAID CUE STICK, A SUPPORTING BODY PORTION BETWEEN SAID MAIN BODY PORTION AND SAID CUE STICK, SAID SUPPORTING BODY PORTION HOLDING SAID MAIN BODY PORTION AT AN ACUTE ANGLE IN RELATION TO THE CENTER LINE OF SAID CUE STICK WITH THE ANGLE BEING OPEN IN A FORWARD DIRECTION TO PROVIDE AN INTERFERENCE-FREE CUE STICK SIGHT. 